Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has launched a scathing attack on the Opposition People’s National Movement (PNM), accusing the party of obstructing national efforts to dismantle the drug trade to protect what she termed its “local drug mafia friends”.
The Prime Minister’s remarks came as a response to concerns raised by Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles regarding the Government’s plan to establish 30 joint police and army posts across the country over the next four months. Persad-Bissessar questioned the PNM’s resistance to the initiative, suggesting the party is more focused on opposing security infrastructure than addressing the “drug blocks” operating in local communities.
During her statement, Persad-Bissessar claimed that PNM stronghold constituencies are plagued by high murder rates, violent gangs, unemployment, and poor infrastructure. She alleged that despite these challenges, the Opposition and individuals she described as “spokespersons for the local drug mafia” are actively resisting an increased security presence.
“They are against the joint army/police posts, against American security assistance, they spread hatred against the security services, and they do and say everything to allow the local drug mafia to destroy PNM strongholds,” the Prime Minister charged.
Persad-Bissessar further criticized the PNM’s historical record, claiming that during the party’s decade in office, 5,000 people were murdered and 8,000 were raped. She alleged that the previous administration prioritized the interests of “drug-trafficking financiers” over the safety of the citizenry.
In a controversial turn, the Prime Minister accused the Opposition of allowing racial and political divisions to dictate their response to crime-fighting measures. Referencing a racial slur traditionally directed at people of East Indian descent to describe herself, she claimed that PNM supporters were so influenced by “hatred and racism” that they would rather see their children’s futures destroyed than cooperate with her administration.
“Sadly, PNM MPs and supporters are so full of hatred and racism that they would prefer their stronghold constituencies… to continue to be destroyed by the local drug mafia rather than cooperate with the security services and the ‘coolie’ Prime Minister,” she stated.
Despite the gravity of the accusations regarding criminal ties, the sources indicate that Persad-Bissessar provided no evidence to substantiate her claims of links between the PNM and drug traffickers.
The Government continues to defend the rollout of the 30 joint police-army posts, maintaining that they are a vital component of a broader strategy to increase the presence of protective services and combat serious crime nationwide
